Launcher of short projectiles with detachable barrel

A toy projectile launcher, comprising:

• a housing;
• a projectile holder disposed within the housing and configured to contain a plurality of projectiles;
• a barrel interface section disposed at a front portion of the housing;
• an air piston assembly disposed within the housing and including an air piston barrel having an air nozzle disposed on a front portion thereof, a plunger element, and a compression spring;
• a cocking slide that is adapted to be moved forward and backward relative to the housing, the projectile holder and the air piston assembly being coupled to the cocking slide;
• a latching assembly coupled between the plunger element and a trigger assembly, wherein the trigger assembly is adapted to be pulled backward by a user of the toy projectile launcher;
• and
• a first detachable launch barrel that is adapted to (i) engage and attach to the barrel interface section;
• and (ii) disengage and detach from the barrel interface section;
• wherein, when the cocking slide is moved backward from a forward position to a backward position:
• the air piston barrel moves backward and pushes the plunger element to compress the compression spring against a rear wall of the housing;
• and
• a first projectile contained in the projectile holder is moved to a position in front of the air piston barrel;
• wherein, when the cocking slide is moved forward from the backward position to the forward position:
• the air piston barrel moves forward, forming an internal air chamber between a front portion of the air piston barrel and the plunger element;
• and
• the air nozzle moves forward to push one of the plurality of projectiles from the projectile holder into the barrel interface section to form a first airtight seal between the air piston barrel and the barrel interface section with the first projectile disposed between the air piston barrel and the barrel interface section;
• wherein, when the first detachable launch barrel is attached to the barrel interface section:
• a second airtight seal is formed between a front portion of the first projectile and the first detachable launch barrel;
• and
• the air nozzle pushes the first projectile into the barrel interface section into firing position in front of the first airtight seal and behind the second airtight seal;
• and
• wherein the plunger element is pushed forward by the compression spring to expel air from the internal air chamber through the air nozzle behind the first projectile in the firing position when the coupling of the latching assembly between the plunger element and the trigger assembly is released.